TICVLOG 06: DD Palmer’s Books

TIC VLOG Episode 6 explores the question of D.D. Palmer’s two books. Both books were authored by D.D. Palmer. The first one was published by him in 1910. The second one was published by his widow in 1914. D.D. Palmer died October 20, 1913.

In 1921, B.J. Palmer republished the books as one volume. He included this in the Greenbooks series as the second Volume 4. The first Vol. 4 was published in 1908. B.J. edited the book. He took out some of the unflattering critiques about himself. He also removed other content. In the video, I mention one of the edits I found about Jim Atkinson. I am sure there are other edits to be discovered.

EXPANDING ON THIS EPISODE

There are so many interesting things we could expand upon from this topic.

• D.D. Palmer published articles criticizing B.J. Palmer’s Vols. 2 and 3. The articles started in December 1908 and continued through early 1910. These were first published in his journal The Chiropractor Adjuster. The articles were lightly edited and included in his 1910 book, Text-book of the Science, Art, and Philosophy of Chiropractic for Students and Practitioners. On the spine, it reads, “The Chiropractor’s Adjuster.”
• Even though D.D. Palmer’s two books were published in 1921, few chiropractors knew about them. For example, Clarence Wieant, DC, PhD, published a classic article in 1979 on “philosophy” in chiropractic as a misnomer. In the article, he claimed that he did not know about D.D.’s 1914 book until the 1960s (even though he graduated in 1924!). Perhaps he just wasn’t paying attention to the new Greenbooks being published while he was in school.
• When thinking of B.J. Palmer’s loose use of historical fact, I can’t help but think about Bob Dylan. In his autobiographical book, Chronicles, as well as of some recent songs, Dylan was accused of plagiarizing whole passages. When taken in context, it looks as though Dylan was adopting a style of writing reminiscent of traditional folk tunes, classical poetry, and a type of writing that emerged in the 1930s. Perhaps we should view B.J. Palmer’s writings alongside the Nobel Laureate?
• The first volume of the Greenbooks was published in Autumn 1906. That book is primarily a compilation of D.D. Palmer’s articles prior to March 1906. D.D. Palmer left Davenport in Spring 1906. B.J. Palmer hired a college professor to edit the book and include several other chapters by B.J. and articles from other authors. B.J. published the second edition in 1910 and the third edition in 1917. These editions included new chapters and edited old ones.

Resources for this Episode:

• Joseph Foley’s article: D.D. Palmer’s Second Book The Chiropractor 1914-Revealed. Chiro Hist. 2016;36(2):72-86.
• TIC DIALOGUE Episode 1 with Simon Senzon and Joe Foley (excerpt).
• Here are a few interesting reference about Bob Dylan and plagiarism:
  • Who’s This Guy Dylan Who’s Borrowing Lines from Henry Timrod?
  • Bob Dylan’s ‘Da Vinci Code’ Revealed
  • Bob Dylan 101: A Harvard Professor Has the Coolest Class on Campus
• Archive.org edition of D.D. Palmer’s The Chiropractor (1914).
• The Science of Chiropractic edited 1917 edition.
• Simon Senzon’s article D.D. Palmer’s Chiropractic Theory of Neuroskeleton.

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* Music written, arranged, and performed by Dan Mills, Mark Goodell, Adam Podd